Naples, FL

LANGUAGE

The Census asks questions about language use at home to locate groups of people who speak a language other than English. Their isolation or integration into a primarily English speaking community can be determined by their ability to speak English proficiently.

Language Spoken at Home, 1990-2000

1990

2000

Number

Percent

Number

Percent

Only English

118,500

82.79%

178,413

74.94%

Spanish

17,229

12.04%

42,158

17.71%

Other Indo-European*

6,779

4.74%

15,794

6.63%

Asian Language**

230

0.16%

749

0.31%

Other

391

0.27%

963

0.40%

Total Population Age 5+

143,129

100.00%

238,077

100.00%

Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000

Language Spoken at Home:

Number

Percent

Spanish

25,362

60.16%

Other Indo-European*

6,670

42.23%

Asian Language**

356

47.53%

Other Language

369

38.32%

Total

32,757

13.76%

Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990

Language Spoken at Home:

Number

Percent

Spanish

8,864

51.45%

Other Indo-European*

2,560

37.76%

Asian Language**

105

45.65%

Other Language

158

40.41%

Total

11,687

8.17%

* "Other Indo-European" excludes English and Spanish. "Indo-European" is not synonymous with "European." French, German, Hindi, and Persian are all classified as Indo-European. Hungarian, on the other hand, is lumped into "Other Language."

** "Asian Language" includes languages indigenous to Asia and Pacific islands areas that are not also Indo-European languages. Chinese, Japanese, Telugu, and Hawaiian are all classified here.

Also note that ability to speak English "very well" is based on the self-assessment of those responding to Census questions, not on a test of language ability.